The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away
In the Student Council room, Irene's voice cut through the air like a determined blade.
"Alright then, let's decide on the party lineup for this year's first-year Student Council members..."
She pushed back from her desk and swung her gaze between Ian and me, offering a faint smile.
Finally, her eyes settled on me.
"First, raise your hand if you can beat that monster one-on-one. Except Ian Cedric, of course—since we're co-valedictorians."
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Amid that quiet, three sets of eyes locked onto me.
One belonged to Irene, sharp and scrutinizing.
She wondered why someone with my talent hadn't trained in knightly swordsmanship, and she clearly disapproved.
Yet I had proven my strength, so she couldn't voice it aloud.
The second gaze came from Lily—different from the guarded look we'd shared in the B-04 sector earlier.
It was a sweeping, assessing stare that lingered for just a moment.
What's with this? Did I do something wrong?
But no time to dwell on it.
The third gaze was simply baffling.
'Selina?'
The original heroine of The Record of Academy Demon God Subjugation, destined to become the top student of the Magic Department.
Now, pushed down to second place by Lily.
She glared at me sideways, her expression unreadable yet clearly conveying disbelief.
As if it was impossible for someone like me to have defeated that guy.
In the original story, she had achieved the same feat yet never experienced it firsthand.
Her look was too skeptical for words.
But before she could say more, Irene's clapping hands stole the moment, and as Irene stepped closer between Ian and me, the feeling vanished.
"Alright, then. You two pick party members alternately.
Make it appropriate and balanced.
Party members are fixed at four, right?"
This turned out differently from the original novel, but for me, it was a good outcome.
It meant I could assemble the ideal party I'd always wanted.
Still, Ian didn't seem to share that view.
"Then the remaining members will form their own party?
Won't that create an imbalance in our forces?"
This overly considerate guy assumed that by picking members to their liking, the leftover group would stay relatively strong.
He spoke as if that made perfect sense.
It was true in the sense he meant, yet he missed something crucial.
Fact could sometimes turn into the cruelest violence.
The people gathered here were top students and second-place students from different departments.
Suggesting they form a party with the leftovers was bound to raise alarms.
Everyone's reaction was as obvious as daylight.
"Stop with that wide-eyed nonsense and pick your people already.
Do you think our Student Council assignments are just busywork?"
Lily, quietly watching from the corner with arms crossed, glared at Ian and muttered.
As someone who valued elegance, she found Ian's straightforward mindset utterly distasteful.
"..."
"Hmph."
My shoulder shook with silent laughter I couldn't hold back.
I never imagined Lily would shoot Ian down so openly.
Irene noticed our exchange and gave me and Lily a strange look, then shrugged at Ian as if to say 'there you go.'
"Well, the Magic Department valedictorian is right.
There are plenty of roles—combat, secretary, treasurer, and many other tasks."
"Ah... I see. My hasty judgment and words, I apologize."
Ian bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes.
Irene patted his shoulder with a kind smile.
"It's fine.
Every year at least one person makes the same mistake.
Two years ago, it was me."
"Senior..."
Ian's eyes shone with gratitude for the comfort.
Seeing him move so freely after just a short acquaintance left me stunned.
I let out a short sigh.
"Hah."
They're all crazy.
Crazy in the best way.
And perhaps because I felt the same, a faint voice from a woman drifted through the air.
"..."
"Why... exactly why..."
It was so faint I couldn't tell whose voice it was.
I searched for its source, shifting my eyes around, but no one reacted.
I decided to ignore it.
***
"Ian, since we're choosing, it doesn't matter who goes first.
Right?"
"Yeah."
"Then, starting now, avoid these three people I named."
"Okay, but... have you already decided on the ones you want?"
"Mhm."
In the corner of the Student Council room, Ian and I leaned against each other and whispered.
If I had mentioned I already picked someone, I might have drawn more of Lily's suspicion.
That's why our strategy meeting was short.
Soon Ian approached Selina cautiously and asked.
"Um... would you like to be my party member?"
And the line that followed...
'Huh? Me? Is that okay...?'
"Huh? Me? Is that okay...?"
Thankfully, the details hadn't changed yet.
Relations with the others were untouched.
Next was my turn to choose party members.
The first person I chose was, of course, natural.
But given her personality, she might reject it.
So I rehearsed the excuses in my mind and stepped forward.
"Princess Lilisciana.
Would you allow me to form a party with you?"
She looked me up and down, then down to up, and let out a soft sigh before nodding.
"Sure.
No need to refuse."
I was momentarily stunned that she accepted so easily.
All my prepared excuses were useless.
Still, it didn't seem to improve her feelings toward me.
If it had, there would have been a spark of affection in her eyes.
Her gaze remained piercing.
Yet she accepted my offer without hesitation.
That thought faded quickly.
Ian had already recruited the Elf from the Archery Department.
I had no choice but to move on.
This time, I headed to the one I had promised Grace.
"Grace."
She smiled gently and nodded.
Soon Ian, needing a healer, chose the second-place student from the Divinity Department.
My eyes landed on the girl squatting in the corner opposite Lily.
As I approached, the other Student Council members swallowed hard, hoping I'd choose her.
They believed that teaming up with me would bring good results during my studies.
But as I passed them one by one, their stares shifted from envy to confusion, then to shock.
"Anna Freesia of the Alchemy Department.
Correct?"
"Ah, y-yes? M-me? Y-yes... but...?"
"Let's form a party."
"Eh?"
"Let's form a party."
A knight-assassin, magician, and healer.
If that combination clicked, the next logical choice would be a martial-arts or swordsmanship department member to protect the healer.
Or the Archery Department for scouting and support.
But I deliberately chose Anna, from the Alchemy Department—someone whose magic resembled Grace's.
'It's definitely unbalanced, but for us... for me right now, this is the optimal choice.'
Anna stared blankly at me, her lips trembling as she tried to speak.
She couldn't muster the courage to say 'why?'
When I pressed her again, she nodded with a teary expression.
One reason she couldn't speak up, another because she resented me for dragging her into combat with her beloved alchemy department.
"No..."
That's it.
Our party was complete.
Equipped with universal potions and universal doping agents.
***
After Ian and I finished selecting our members, the others formed their own parties.
Everyone ended up with four.
Irenne checked the group sizes from her desk drawer and distributed the mission scrolls.
"Then, since all parties are set, I'll assign the missions.
The total duration is ten days.
Ten days to complete the mission.
You can work on it whenever you have free time, or start immediately.
Student Council duties during the mission period are recognized, so don't worry about that."
There was one more reason I had deviated from the original novel.
I chose to put Grace in my party instead of Ian's.
It was because Lily and I had experienced the main scenario.
My hypothesis was that we had stolen the protagonists' spots, leading to this result.
The evidence was solid.
First, the similarity between Lily and the heroine.
Both users of colorless magic, yet Lily was a sub-heroine.
So in a scenario where Selina couldn't participate, Lily was the perfect substitute.
And since I was also a Sword Department valedictorian, I was ideal for their substitute.
Until they reclaimed their spots as top students, the main scenario was bound to unfold again.
That's why Grace was needed.
She played a crucial role in this Student Council mission.
In other words, without her, completing this main scenario—successfully uncovering the truth and falsehood in Triang Village—was nearly impossible.
The mission's content was clear.
"First party: Veri.
Detecting heretic infiltrators in Triang Village."
If we had someone who could tell truth from lies, this would have been a trivial mission.